GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A last gasp plea written on the face of the Sixth Street Dam doesn’t appear to be winning much support among city leaders, who sound eager to kick off a proposed $27 million project that would remove several dams and restore the natural rapids to the Grand River.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of if this project will happen, but a matter of when,” Jay Steffen, assistant city planning director, told members of the city’s Local Development Finance Authority board on Friday during a mid-year report.

Earlier this month, an unknown fisherman wrote “Save The Dam” in moss on the Sixth Street Dam, presumably in protest of plans that a small but vocal group anglers believe would destroy a popular fishing spot in the middle of downtown.

The White House is supporting the large-scale Grand Rapids Whitewater river restoration project, but federal agencies still must figure out how to keep invasive sea lampreys from swimming upstream if the downtown dams are removed. The restoration group is pursuing private, state and federal funding for their project

A rendering of what the Grand River will look like if dams are removed and the riverbed is restored.Courtesy rendering

Steffen told leaders of the LDFA (also known as the Smart Zone) the city may integrate the river project into a pair of upcoming planning studies; one a master study of downtown and the other a river corridor study that would encompass several blocks on either side of the river, between North Park and Millennium Park.

Steffen said the Grand Rapids Whitewater team is considering plans for a new dam in the river around Ann Street, with boulders and other whitewater features downstream to Fulton Street.

“You can imagine the development that will spin-off on the east and west sides of the river,” he said, referencing bars, restaurants with riverfront seating and kayak rental facilities, among other businesses.

If the public at large can get on board with the project, Steffen said, “by the time it gets to permitting or approval stages, you have dealt with the concerns, so if anyone shows up, they will be on the fringes where you can acknowledge them but move on.”

“We’re trying to deal with this one step at a time,” he said. “We’re trying to be open to the concerns. It’s a very complex project that involves hydrology, hydraulics and the environment. The goal in the end is to enhance the river by putting the boulders back in and providing a better sturgeon habitat.”

“All in all, we feel as if we’re looking at a better river in the end.”